Construction begins to replace century-old bridge connecting NJ and NYC, officials say
NEW JERSEY (PIX11) --- It's more than 100 years old and, at times, a major headache for commuters. But New Jersey's Portal Bridge in Hudson County is a vital link for trains between New Jersey and New York City.
On Monday, a new major project to replace the bridge begins. Gov. Phil Murphy will be joined by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senators Cory Booker and Bob Menendez for the groundbreaking.
The project is vital to commuters because the current century-old bridge that runs over the Hackensack River occasionally becomes stuck when it opens to allow boats to pass underneath. Every day around 200,000 people and 450 trains travel over that bridge.
As a result, it's known as a bottleneck for trains on the Northeast Corridor and the North Jersey Coastline that are coming in and out of New York. This has led to major service disruptions in the past.
The cost of the new bridge, which will be called the Portal North Bridge, is being covered by the federal government, NJ Transit, and Amtrak.
Officials said the new bridge will be a two-track fixed span bridge that will rise higher over the river so boats can pass underneath without disruptions to trains. The new bridge will not open and close. Construction of the new bridge will take several years to complete, officials said.
The project is one of the first steps in the greater Gateway Program which, officials said, will double how many trains travel between the city and Newark.